Just a quick note to let everyone know the podcast is skipping a week, due to a confluence of scheduling conflicts for all the regular members. Don’t worry — we’ll be back next week. In the meantime, we’re being kept alive by a Dharma Initiative food drop (see above) created and sent to us by a loyal fan (loyal fan, I apologize for not having your name handy right this second, but I will get it from Master Higgins!).

See you all next week — we’ll have lots of Lost, Wolverine, and Star Trek to talk about!

Yep — we’re getting the band back together. GFW Radio (AKA “The Brodeo 97.5”) fan and all-around cool guy Aaron Simmer over at The Armchair Empire is orchestrating a live podcast/discussion panel at this year’s Penny Arcade Expo up in Seattle, WA — and once all is said and done, the podcast will be released here on Geekbox.net for everyone to hear! That means you’re gonna get to hear myself and fellow Computer Gaming World/Games for Windows/1UP alum Jeff Green, Sean Molloy, Shawn Elliot, and Robert Ashley on the mic together for the first time since September 2008. And, if you’re attending PAX, you can even come say hello in person, too! I believe there might be a Q&A segment in the second half of the panel; that should be lots of fun.

So, Aaron has started a donation fund to help pay for the convention costs, etc. So, if you’re down with the idea and want this to happen, head on over to Armchair Empire, read the press release, and donate what ya can. I definitely don’t expect anyone who reads this site/listens to my podcast to go all-out or anything; I’m still deeply thankful for all your donations to date, especially in the wake of Geekbox co-host Ryan Higgins’ apartment fire. So, just know that I ain’t trying to milk a fortune out of everybody.

In any case — check out the link, help if you’d like, and send this story up the Digg chain! You can discuss this story on the forums here.

Hey guys — just uploading a message to our iTunes feed to let non-website-goers know why we didn’t record a new episode this week. Special bonus: The full, uncut Geekbox Radio Theme! And, finally, please check out our all-new discussion forums! They’re pretty empty now, but I’m counting on you guys to change that.

The Geekbox — Special Bulletin (2009-03-07)Just a quick announcement to notify folks who don’t read the site regularly about Ryan “Master” Higgins’ apartment fire last weekend (AKA the reason you don’t have a new podcast this week). Thanks to all the folks who donated money and goodwill to help Ryan — we’ll be back next week with an all-new episode! In the meantime, check out the new discussion forums at forums.geekbox.net!
Running Time: 1m 18sDirect Download — iTunes — Zune Marketplace — RSS

THANK YOU to everyone who donated money to help Geekbox co-host Ryan Higgins following his apartment fire last weekend. Your generous contributions have raised over $1,600, which should go a long way toward getting Ryan and his girlfriend back on their feet as far as basic living necessities go.

Just so you all know, they’re moving into a new apartment this weekend; it looks like most of their stuff (except, oddly enough, for the stuff in Ryan’s comic room) is gone, but they’re trying to salvage what they can. As for the rest, they’ll be OK, and it’s all thanks to you guys. It’s pretty amazing to me that — even in the face of these harsh economic times — so many people are willing to help others in need. So thank you again, from me and Ryan and all of us who put together this wacky podcast.

Speaking of which, Ryan tells me he should probably be good to podcast again after the weekend, so — barring any unforeseen trouble — we’ll record another show early next week. Stay tuned!

In a tragic turn of events, The Geekbox co-host Ryan Higgins’ apartment burned down today. While that means the podcast is definitely on-hold for the next couple weeks, the more crucial concern is that Ryan and his girlfriend lost what’s being estimated right now as the vast majority of their stuff (the good news is that everyone’s OK!).

So, I just want to say that any donations you’d care to make to the site will go directly to getting Ryan back on his feet as far as living arrangements and such go. I know the inevitable talkback chatter will probably turn to talk of pursuing legal action against his landlord and all that type of jazz; that will all get figured out once the fire department makes some sort of determination about who’s at fault, which we’ll find out within the next couple of weeks. So try not to fly too off the handle about that stuff.

Until then, please wish Ryan a speedy recovery from this! PLEASE Digg the living hell out of this item so it can get as many eyeballs on it as possible. If anything I post on this site needs it, it’s this.

As of right now, the first episode of The Geekbox is #1 on iTunes’ Video Games and Games & Hobbies categories, #3 in audio podcasts, and #6 overall for all podcasts (audio AND video). Oh, and we’re up to over 18,000 downloads, if anyone’s curious. 🙂 I want to thank everyone who has supported/listened to the podcast. And if you haven’t subscribed on iTunes, what are you waiting for!?

Oh, and just to whet your appetite — Episode 2 will be released next Wednesday, January 28. Woot!

Tune in late this Friday (or possibly early Saturday, depending on how things work out), where you’ll be able to download the first of what will hopefully be many episodes of Geekbox Radio, an all-new gaming audio podcast from some of the talented ex-1UP personalities who brought you shows like GFW Radio, Legendary Thread, and Sports Anomaly (I don’t want to let the cat out of the bag yet as far as who’s appearing — you’ll have to tune in to find out!). With any luck, it might even be good. 😉

You might also notice that I’ve added a PayPal donation button up top. Let me be clear: I am not asking for free handouts here, and I don’t expect my loyal fans to pay my rent or anything crazy like that. The best way to support what I’m doing here is to download the podcast, listen to the podcast, leave comments here about the podcast, and Digg the podcast (this is especially important — if you’re looking forward to this podcast and want it to succeed, please Digg so more people can check it out!). This podcast is only as stable as its fan base, so please show your support and vote with your ears/Diggs. That said, any donations made to the site will — first and foremost — be used to enable a half-decent podcasting setup (I won’t lie — the first episode’s not gonna be very advanced, technology-wise!). In any case, I plan on full transparency; if anyone decides to donate, I will disclose exactly how much I’ve received and exactly where it’s going. Also note that this is a separate venture from Rebel FM and the 1UP Show crew’s new project, so if you’ve donated to them, you’ve done more than enough. We may be separate, but we’re still one big family.

Thanks for all your support and kind words so far, and stay tuned — hopefully we won’t disappoint!

UPDATE (2009-01-13): Thanks to all the support and donations, it’s starting to look like I might be able to record this thang with some decent equipment. I’m completely floored by the response, everyone. This is your podcast as much as it is mine. Now I really hope I don’t let you guys down!